Oral composition for treating bone disorders

ABSTRACT

A method and composition for treating bone disease with an herbal medicine is disclosed. The patient is orally treated with a composition including powdered safflower seed. In a preferred embodiment, the composition also includes powdered bark of ulmas davidiana root. An alternative embodiment of the composition contains the aqueous extract of powdered safflower seed with or without Jookyom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to an orally administered composition derivedfrom plants which is useful for treating bone disorders.

Numerous plants were once believed to have medicinal value. However, theattention of the scientific community has turned away from research inthis area. While the attention paid to medical botany has decreased inrecent years, the pharmacological effectiveness of certain botanicalremedies remains useful, and there remains a long felt need forcontinued research in this area.

Numerous plants and plant derivatives are presently used for thetreatment of disease. For example, mandrake (mandragora officinarum)yields the alkaloid hyoscine, which is a powerful analgesic. Opium,which is a dried exudate from the unripe seedpods of the opium poppy(papaver somniferum) contains many alkaloids, some of which havemedicinal value. Morphine and codeine are used for their analgesicproperties; papaverine is used to treat intestinal colic and vascularspasm, and noscapine is an antitussive.

The autumn crocus (colchicum autumnale) contains colchicine, which isvery effective for the treatment of gout. The purple foxglove (digitalispurpurea) and wooly foxglove (digitalis lanata) contain potent producepositive inotropic effects when administered orally, and are used totreat congestive heart failure.

The composition described herein is used to treat bone disorders. Bonefractures are initially treated by traditional methods such as byresetting, splinting and immobilizing the limb, such as with a cast.Suitable casts may be made from plaster or plastics.

In cases of severe fracture, the bone may be repaired by surgicallyattaching a plate made of titanium alloy, stainless steel, bioglass,aluminum oxide ceramic, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, orsilicone to the bone across the fracture, with screws and/or bonecement. Metal rods have also been used successfully as a means ofsplinting and immobilizing damaged bone.

Bone transplants have also been attempted using homologous bone, bonecells, and artificial bone, with varying degrees of success.

Prosthetic devices have also been used to replace degenerated bone.

Additionally, potentially severe bone disease such as rheumatoid andosteoarthritis, osteoporosis and the like, as well as diseases such asnon-specific bone related pain has been treated by various means,ranging from the use of non-steroidal antinflammatory drugs to goldinjections.

The invention described herein utilizes an oral composition as anadjunct to the conventional bone disease treatments described above. Forexample, when a broken bone is to be treated, the fracture is set by aphysician and placed into a cast or splint. In addition to thesemeasures, and in accordance with the present invention, the compositiondescribed herein is administered orally to reduce the pain, hasten theformation of new bone across the fracture and strengthen thepre-existing bone. This leads to increased bone density, decreased bonebrittleness and reduced bone pain.

When the composition is used to treat non-fracture related bone disease,e.g., arthritis, conventional therapy is supplemented in accordance withthe invention described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a composition for treating bonedisorders which comprises powdered safflower seed.

The composition may also contain up to about 10% by weight of the barkof ulmas davidiana root and/or Jookyom.

In a preferred embodiment, the safflower seed is browned, powdered andthen mixed with a desired amount of powdered bark of ulmas davidianaroot or Jookyom.

The present invention also relates to methods of treating such bonedisorders comprising treating the patient orally with from about 50 toabout 100 grams of a composition comprised of from about 90 to about 100percent safflower seed and from about 10 to about 0 percent bark ofulmas davidiana root, or Jookyom one to eight times a day.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Safflower seed has a circulatory improvement effect when administeredorally in untreated form. The composition is essentially non-toxic andhas a slightly bitter and sweet taste.

When safflower seed is cooked, e.g., fried, the pharmacological profilechanges. It demonstrates activity as a bone-healing or bone growthstimulating composition, and improves wound healing and the like. It isnoted that safflower seed contains low levels of a platinum compound aswell as other natural ingredients which are useful for treating bonedisorders, resulting in increased bone strength and density, decreasedbrittleness and reduced bone pain.

As used herein, the terms "bone disorders" and "bone disease" refer tofractures and non-fracture related conditions known to those skilled inthe art, which respond therapeutically to the composition describedherein.

Therapeutic responses can be measured objectively, such as through theuse of x-rays, CAT scans and the like, as well as clinically, judged bya reduction in the symptoms.

It has been discovered that broken bones heal quickly and tender, weakbones are strengthened by treating the patient with the compositioncomprised of a mixture of safflower seed and bark of ulmas davidianaroot and optionally Jookyom.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the powdered safflower seedcomprises at least about 90 percent of the composition and the bark ofthe ulmas davidiana root comprises no more than about 10 percent byweight of the composition. entirely.

In the most preferred embodiment, the composition comprises about 95safflower seed and about 5 percent bark of ulmas davidiana root.

The composition is typically prepared as follows. First, safflower seedsare cooked, e.g., lightly fried, until they attain a light brown color.It seems that cooking the safflower seeds prior to comminution enhancesthe potency of the preparation, making its bone-treating effectivenessmore pronounced. Additionally, by lightly browning the seeds prior tocomminution, a hematinnic effect may be observed; bruises seem todissipate more quickly.

The browned safflower seeds are ground into a powder. The resultantpowder is mixed with a desired amount of powdered bark of ulmasdavidiana root, ,in the relative proportions recited above. Bark orulmas davidiana is an analgesic agent which also has antisepticproperties. It is combined with the safflower seed described herein (upto about 10% w/w) to form a preferred composition for oral use.Preferably the bark of ulmas davidiana root is used, since it seems tohave stronger medicinal properties than the other plant parts.

Alternatively, the safflower seeds may be boiled after grinding into apowder. This tends to extract the active components from the seed intothe liquid. This is particularly suitable for making orally administeredsolutions. The liquid medium is administered to the patient in flavoredor unflavored form. One preferred example is ginger tea containing anextract of the safflower seed, bark of ulmas davidiana root and/orJookyom.

The patient may be treated with an oral dose of from about 50 to about100 grams of the powdered composition once or twice a day up to as highas one dose about every 2 to 3 hours. When a liquid extract of safflowerseed is administered, equivalent doses of the liquid containing theextract of safflower seed, bark of ulmas davidiana root and/or Jookyomshould be given.

For milder cases of bone disease, adults typically take about 20-50g ofthe composition four times daily at mealtime and at bedtime. For moreserious cases, the dose can be increased to about 100 g every 2 to 3hours. Children may take reduced dosages based upon their age and bodyweight.

When the powdered composition is administered, the mixture may betableted, encapsulated, or solubilized in a suitable liquid vehicle forthe powder and dispensed as a solution or suspension. When the boiledextract is administered, it is best utilized as an herbal flavored tea.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the safflower seeds arecleaned, lightly fried to a golden brown and then ground into a powder.Separately wash and grind the bark of ulmas davidiana root and combinean amount of davidania powder up to about 10% of the total weight of theblend with an appropriate quantity of powdered safflower seed.

The powder mixture need not be combined with any diluents, and can beplaced directly into a liquid and ingested in the form of a suspensionor slurry.

The safflower seed powder may alternatively be combined with Jookyom inthe flavored tea described above, again with an appropriate sweetener asnecessary.

The preferred safflower seed is taken from plants grown in South Korea.When Korean safflower seed is used as described above, the dosesdescribed above are adequate. When other safflower seed is used, thedoses may be increased.

Generally, improvement in the bone disease condition is apparent withinabout one week to ten days after the start of treatment. Seriousfractures and patients who have difficulty healing can be treated forabout 20 to about 60 days, and patients with osteoporosis can be treatedat reduced doses using a maintenance regimen, e.g., regular doses forlonger than about 3 months.

In one instance, the composition described herein was used to treat an18 year old male patient who was hospitalized with a neck fracture(C4-C6) which occurred in an automobile accident. After conventionaltreatment by a physician, the patient's medical care was supplementedwith 5-10 gram doses of safflower seed extract every 2-3 hours combinedwith Jookyom in ginger tea. This regimen was maintained for about 12days, and was modified slightly to provide higher doses four times dailyfor about another 30 days. The total weekly dose of safflower seed wasabout 1500 g and about 250 g of Jookyom. The patient was deemed cured atday 23 by his physician, in contrast to his pre-treatment recuperativeestimate of about 1 year.

Improvement in children with bone disorders has been demonstrated aftera course of therapy lasting about one week.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been describedherein in detail, numerous alternative embodiments are contemplated asfalling within the scope of the invention. Consequently, the claims arenot to be limited to the example provided herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A therapeutic composition comprising a mixture ofsafflower seed and bark of ulmas davidiana root, wherein said safflowerseed comprises at least about 90 percent and said bark of ulmasdavidiana root comprises no more than about 10 percent by weight of saidcomposition.
 2. A therapeutic composition comprising from about 50 toabout 100 grams of a mixture containing about 90 to about 100 percentfried safflower seed and about 10 to about 0 percent bark of ulmasdavidiana root.
 3. A composition for the treatment of bone disorders ina mammal comprised of the aqueous extract of safflower seed.